JULY 2006
Roland Denis, a former Minister of the Hugo Chavez government in Venezuela,
will be speaking at three locations in Ireland.
>
> He is a guest speaker at
>meetings organised by the Socialist Workers Party.
>>>
>The locations are:>>
>
>* Cork: 11 July 8pm Victoria Hotel, Patrick St
>
>*Dublin 12 July 8pm ATGWU Hall 55 Middle Abbey St
>
>* Galway 13 July 8pm Foster Court Hotel, Foster St>
>
>He will speak about the ongoing Revolution in Venezuela and what still
>needs to be done.
>>>
>Biography:
>
>Roland Denis is a leading revolutionary in Venezuela. He was a member of
>the Chávez government (in 2002-2003) as vice-minister of planning, but
>resigned after ten months, together with the minister, in protest at the
>lack of grass roots involvement in the planning process.
>>
>An organiser and activist since the 1980s, he was a founder member of the
>13 April Movement, a grassroots organisation struggling to deepen the
>Bolivarian Revolution.
>>
>On the 11th April 2002, Hugo Chavez was overthrown by a US-sponsored coup.
>Mass demonstrations forced the coup plotters to flee and brought Chavez
>back. April 13th symbolises the beginning of the revolutionary process in
>Venezuela when the ordinary people came to the fore. Roland Denis has been
>in the thick of these struugles against wealth and privilege.
>
>
>
>WHAT HE SAYS>
>
> "In terms of future development of the revolution there are two
>alternatives. The first is that the right recovers enough strength for a
>politics, violent or non-violent, able to defeat the whole Bolivarian
>movement, and the second is a much more profound institutionalisation of
>the movement than at present. But this is something which is still
>dependent on a profound struggle taking place between the movement and the
>institutional power of the state."
>>
> "Our idea is to create a movement of workers. As well as the recuperated
>factories there are other projects. In the big state-owned
>enterprises-above all aluminium with 1,500 workers-comrades in the movement
>are developing experiences of direct workers' control."
>>
>"There is a class struggle in Venezuela, but not a revolution that has
>triumphed. A revolution is possible in Venezuela, but it is only a
>possibility. For us it is about Latin America in general. So far things
>have only advanced a little way. This is the question in Ecuador, in
>Bolivia, in Brazil, etc. In Venezuela it is a little better, while things
>in Colombia are terrible. What we have to do now is build a political
>strategy -not for the government, but for a popular revolutionary movement
>that can drive the movement forward. We need to build that movement
>together with the rank and file of the Chavista movement, who are using the
>same language as us."
>
>For more information on the Socialist Workers Party contact us at:Web:
>www.swp.ie Email: info@swp.ie Tel: (01) 872 2682
>